


When at the Olympics...

by Hecate1412



Series: Maribat Records [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Damian runs into a kindred spirit, Dick made it to the olympics, Fencing, Fluff, Gen, Not Beta Read, Olympics AU, Olynpics, Polevault, Sword Fighting, Tokyo - Freeform, but not for Gymnastics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-06 04:29:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21220592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hecate1412/pseuds/Hecate1412
Summary: Dick Grayson is representing the US at the Tokyo Olympics for Pole Vault of all things. Naturally, his family is incredibly proud, and they packed up for Tokyo and plan to stay for the entire event. It's here where Damian, after get's separated from his brother in the Olympic Village, runs into a kindred spirit; a small French Fencer named Marinette Dupain-Cheng.  He's not sure what her smile is doing to his heart, but he's fairly certain he like it. He's also fairly certain he likes her.





	1. Chapter 1

Damian wouldn’t deny that he was horribly proud of his eldest brother. How could he not be when he’d watched Dick work his ass off for the past few years in an event he had never attempted before because he wanted a challenge. He’d picked up pole vault on a dare, and had fallen in love with it, started training, and before anyone began to realize, He’d become one of the best in the country. And now? Now, he was representing the USA in the Tokyo Olympics. So yeah, Damian was proud. Dick could have taken the easy route, they all knew he was an Olympic level gymnast, but in the words of the eldest Wayne, “If I did Gymnastics, I would feel like I’m cheating.” So, pole vault it was. 

Turns out there are perks of having a sibling in the Olympics. Other than having the excuse to physically go (yes, they had all piled into a plane and were staying for the entirety of the summer) but as it turns out, Dick could sneak them into the Olympic Village where every athlete representing their country was staying.

Tim and Jason were more vocal about their excitement, Eyes going every which way. Damian, although he was excited to be there, hid it completely under his typical neutral expression, but a knowing glance from Dick was enough for the youngest to know he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Dick, I can’t believe you managed to pull this off!” Jason threw his arm around his brother's shoulder and smiled. “Literally any of these fine men and women could step on me and I would _thank _them. I would thank them, Dick. We are surrounded by the best athletes in the world. I am nothing in the wake of their shadow. An insignificant speck of dust on the—”

“We get it, you’re excited.” Tim rolled his eyes at his brother's antics, but was still smiling. “I read some statistics about how there’s a high rate of pregnancy in the Olympic village.”

“Well, they do say sex is a universal lang—OW!” Dick had hit him on the back of the head a deadpan look on his face.

“Do not get any idea’s you creep. Bruce would go batshit crazy if he learned you got someone pregnant.”

“Oh please. Bruce is a billion-dollar playboy philanthropist. I know he announced to the world he adopted five out of his six official children, but we all know society thinks he secretly got six different women pregnant.”

“The conspiracy stories around our family are quite entertaining.” Tim agreed.

“Oh please. Only a complete fool would believe anything the tabloids say about us.”

“I dunno, Demon Spawn. I’d say their theory of you being the son of Satan is—Stop hitting me!” Jason had managed to dodge that time.

“I don’t know how I put up with any of you.” He complained, leading them through the village. It was an interesting place, buildings separated into countries, flags hanging from the windows, words written on the glass for anyone who could read the language to see. And the air was filled with language. Every Language. It made Damian wish he could understand more. He wasn’t against eavesdropping, but it was pointless if you didn’t understand the language being spoken. Damian had been focusing more on his surroundings than his brothers, which was his first mistake. He looked back to where they had been moments ago to realize they’d disappeared into the crowd and he was standing alone.

“Oh, well that’s just wonderful.” He wasn’t concerned, Damian could take care of himself, but he knew Dick would be panicking once he realized the youngest was now missing. It wasn’t exactly Damian’s fault. Dick should have kept better track of the group since he was the one to sneak them in. He was sure they would reconnect eventually, but for now, he decided to wander.

Again, he found him paying less attention as he observed everything around him, which lead to

a full-on collision with…

“_Je Suis Desole!_” The bluenette said in scrambled French. She’d managed to knock them both to the ground and was scrambling to collect the bags she’d dropped.

“You’re French?” Damian realized, switching languages instantly.

“You speak French?”

“Yes, I do. I’m Damian Wayne.”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she greeted. “Sorry for running into you. I’m still adjusting to the time change and overslept. Now, I’m running late for practice.” She mumbled something he couldn’t quite hear before groaning. “Kagami is going to murder me.”

“Is that your coach?”

“Training partner and rival. We’ve been training together since we were kids. We always dreamed of going to the Olympics together. I don’t know how I made it here, but I qualified, and now I’m late and she’s going to murder me.”

“Perhaps I can help with that?” Damian suggested. “I can accompany you? Say I got lost and you found me and offered your help. I’m here with my brother, he’s representing the US—”

“So, you’re not an athlete?”

“No, but I’m here to support one. And my father’s company is an Olympic sponsor. Since he trusts me more than he trusts my older brothers—” he showed her the badge he wore around his neck.”

“Oh wow. You have all access? That’s not common.”

“So I’ve heard. Would you like me to help you carry some of your bags? I would like to accompany you to your practice if that’s allowed.”

“I don’t mind.” She gave him one of her bags along with a bright smile that made his chest do something weird. He was sure his heart had been going crazy from the moment he’d first laid eyes on the girl before him. She was petite, but not slim, and her eyes were absolutely mesmerizing. If it wouldn’t have come off as completely creepy, he’d have easily stared into them for hours.

They walked in for a minute, Marinette leading the way since Damian had no earthly clue where anything was before she broke the silence.

“So, your brother is an athlete?”

“Technically all of my brothers are athletes in one way or another, but Dick’s the only one who pursued it on a professional level (because unfortunately, crime-fighting vigilante wasn’t a sport, but if it was, Damian would absolutely win gold).”

“And what about you? Do you play a sport?”

“Yes and no.” Damian thought about the martial arts he’d been raised on, the sword he almost always carried on his person, or the hidden blades that could easily do as much damage. “Traditional swordplay is my go-to. My family has a history of practicing the art, and it’s been passed down from generation to generation for as long as we’ve existed. Frankly, I feel most myself when I’m practicing or during a spar.” He wasn’t aware of the faint smile he’d adopted, but he was aware of the blush that took over his face when he glanced at Marinette who was staring at him with stars in her eyes.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! A kindred spirit!” She squealed.

“What?”

“I’m a fencer! It’s probably not the same as what you do, but swordplay is swordplay and I have never loved anything more than I have loved fencing. There’s something so,” she waved her hands frantically as if the words were right there and Damian should know them, “You know?” Fortunately, he did know. It was more of a feeling than it was something to describe with words. Like the feeling that everything is exactly as it should be, and all you have to worry about is the opponent in front of you.

“Shockingly I know what you’re trying to say.”

“Kindred spirit!” She exclaimed again, pointing between the two of them. “It’s no wonder we ran into each other.”

“Do you believe in fate?” She snorted out a laugh and shrugged.

“Based on the stuff I’ve witnessed? I believe in a lot of things, Damian. But running into you? Yeah, I think that was fate.”

“You hardly know me.”

“Well then maybe we can spar later. They say the best way to learn about someone is through crossing blades.”

“I’m not much of a fencer, but I have dabbled in it here and there, and I’m a quick study.”

“Olympic level quick study?”

“I suppose we’ll find out eventually, won’t we?” She beamed at him again, leaving Damian feeling light. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling like that when she smiled at him, but he kind of liked it. He liked Marinette. He was excited to see her in her element.

“This is the gym where we practice,” Marinette informed after another fifteen or so minutes of walking. She pulled him off to a smaller building that didn’t stand out much. It had the vibe of a traditional dojo and looked like it had been there much longer than any of the other buildings created for the massive event. “Kagami’s family is from Japan, and this is their dojo. They insist we practice here. The good news about practicing here, and not at the official building, is that I can most certainly convince ‘Gami to let me casually spar with you after we’re done.”

“Even if you can’t, I’m sure more opportunities will present themselves.”

“Nah. She thinks she can say no to my puppy eyes, but she caves every single time. We’ll have our spar, Damian. You just sit still and watch until then.” She pulled him deeper into the building, getting no resistance from him. Vaguely, Damian realized if Dick had been looking for him, there was no chance he was going to find him now. He didn’t care though. Fate, or chance, or luck had let him run into Marinette, and right now he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's coffee ice cream by the way (you'll understand later)

“I think I’m in love,” Damian announced absent mindedly as he laid out across the couch in the penthouse his family was living in for the summer. He’d found his way back easily and was now chilling in the living area with the rest of his family who was currently staring at him as if the world was ending.

“Is the brat sleep talking or did he really just say what I think he said?” Tim stared at Jason who was equally as shocked, but all Damian could think about was the little French girl who’d easily handed him his ass in a spar. Watching her practice had been one thing. He was amazed to see how someone so small could attack with such ferocity and intensity. It was absolutely amazing to see, but watching her fight and actually fighting her had been two entirely different experiences. 

Damian considered himself a quick study, and a few practice rounds had been enough to nail in the rules of the sport as well as the dos and don’ts. He wasn’t perfect, but he had the reflexes and the hand-eye coordination from other training in his corner, and he was certain he could keep up. And keep up he did, but that was about it. There was one or two times when he felt he had Marinette on the run, but she was a full-frontal offensive type of fighter and she gave him no breathing space, forcing him to block and counter more and keeping him from going on the attack himself. There was a fire in her eyes, which he could see through the mesh of her helmet. Not literally, but he knew it was there. It felt like he was being attacked by a dragon. Strong, intimidating, relentless and oh so horribly graceful.

“Yup, I think this feeling is love.” He spoke again to no one in particular. Jason was the first to react, placing a hand on the teen’s forehead with a frown.

“He’s not warm, I don’t think he’s sick.”

“Replaced by an alien?”

“You really think an alien would be able to abduct him? Hell, we barely managed to nab him for that surprise party we threw him.”

“I don’t like surprises, Todd!” He scowled remembering the day in particular. They’d grabbed him from school when he’d least expected it and knocked him out with chloroform of all things. What kind of last generation kidnapping was that? It had been a surprise party, sure. Sweet sixteen and all that, while he appreciated the intentions, he did not appreciate the method. Naturally he had gone at them with nothing but his bare hands when he eventually came too (since they’d stripped him of all his other hidden weapons) because family or not they were going to pay for abducting.

“You gave Dick a good shock today when you disappeared.”

“You all left me behind. It’s not my fault.”

“Right, always someone else's fault but never your own.” Tim rolled his eyes and went back to scrolling through his phone. “But hey, at least we knew you’re partially human. You’re in love you say?”

“I assume that is what this odd feeling in my chest is. Dick’s explained it to me before, and I hadn’t felt it until today. It's …unsettling, but not horrible. Like a weird buzzing in my chest.”

“Butterflies, kiddo. That’s what regular people call them. You had butterflies.”

“That’s a lame thing to call it. Did someone have to swallow several live butterflies in order to decide that was the feeling it most accurately mimicked?”

“Did demon spawn just make a joke?”

“I’ve lived with Tim long enough to understand what a joke is, considering he’s a constant living one.” Jason’s hand flung to his heart as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eyes.

“Our little demon, growing up and being as savage as ever.”

“He gets that from you,” Tim was used to Damian’s antics after living together for so long. They didn’t get to him as much anymore. Brotherly love and whatnot. They hated each other sure, but they always knew, when it mattered most, they’d have each other’s backs. “You still haven’t answered the question. Who exactly did you meet in the few hours you slipped away from us, that made you suddenly fall in love?”

“A kindred spirit,” Damien repeated Marinette’s words. “Her name’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s a fencer here representing France.”

“Ah, so you found a fellow sword buddy. Now it makes sense.” Tim expertly dodged the pillow thrown at his face and smiled. “To slow, Babybird. To slow.”

“Only Dick gets to call me that.”

“Awww, but don’t you love me too?” Another pillow had Tim scrambling off the chair and laughing as he jogged into the kitchen to get away. 

“Dick is gonna have a field day when he hears about this. His little baby bird all grown up and off to woo women.”

“You do know I carry knives on my person, Drake. I’m not against using them on family.”

“Oh, trust me, we’re all fully aware of that. You tried to kill me when we first met.”

“In my defense, I was ten, and the solution to problems that I’d been taught was to kill first ask questions later.”

“Is that not still your approach to problem-solving?” Jason prodded, keeping his distance. He could easily take his brother down if he needed to, but he wasn’t exactly in the mood for an all-out brawl.

“Believe it or not, I’ve learned to talk to people before running them through, which is an improvement from the time I would talk to them _as_ I was running them through, and before when I would just run them through and go about my way. Father takes the no-killing rule very seriously. I had to get creative with my methods.”

“It’s technically not killing if they’re still breathing.”

“I skill I learned from you, Jason, since you walk a very fine line.” There was a snort from the older sibling at the blatant false truth. Jason didn’t walk a fine line, he hopped back and forth daily. He ruffled Damian’s hair as he walked by, laughing harder as he was swatted at like a cat.

“Still, it’s good to see you acting a bit more your age, ya little punk. Good luck wooing your soon to be girlfriend. Remember, you have an image to uphold, and that’s as a spoiled rich kid.”

“Ooh, he has a point,” Tim called, having found himself a tub of ice cream. He was happily spooning it out from the container and into his mouth as the conversation continued. “You are the son of billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne. The tabloids would go wild learning you were using all your resources to impress one girl. Especially since the press back home thinks you are an iceberg personified.”

“If I were in your shoes, I would take her out to dinner first.” The three boys looked up to the second-floor balcony where said billionaire playboy was standing, leaning casually against the railing like he’d been there the entire time. Scratch that, he probably had been there the entire time. “Keep in mind she’s here for the Olympics, I wouldn’t do anything too extreme to distract her concentration, but there’s no shame in dropping hints that you’re interested”

“Ooh, the master himself has given you his sagely advice, Demon Spawn.” Damian, in turn, shoved a pillow against his face and groaned. Because of course Father had been listening in.

“Also, Tim, what have I said about eating ice cream out of the container?”

“Nu-uh. I bought this ice cream! It’s mine!” He yelled dashing out of the room. “You’ll have to take it from my cold dead hands, old man!” Bruce let out a tired sigh before walking down the stairs and slowly walking after Tim.

Jason and Damian watched him go before the older turned and threw him a thumbs up.

“Pretty sure the old man just gave you his blessing, Damian. Best get out there and woo like you’ve never wooed before!”

“What if I just launch myself out the window? That would be more bearable than whatever this entire conversation just was.”

“I hope you at least got her number.”

“Of course I did! What do you take me for?” Damian rolled to his feet. “I’ll be in the gym, tell the others not to disturb me.” He had some planning to do, and he thought best when he had a sword in his hand. Right now, he didn’t know much about his angel with a saber, but he knew what she did to his heart, and it was a feeling he doubted he’d get tired of. He wasn’t about to let this one go. Not if he could help it. Hopefully, she would feel the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is self edited, so...
> 
> let me know what you thought with a comment. I love hearing from y,all!

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if Kagami is Japanese, but for the sake of the fic, she is going to be. 
> 
> Also, for story sake, this exists in a universe where There are now enough bats/vigilante's in Gotham that batman can disappear for a while and risk the safety of no one.


End file.
